There’s about 38 years and 160 pounds between these pictures:

I’ve struggled with weight my whole life, especially as an adult. Getting closer to a healthy weight has been emotional. If there’s one thing I can say, it’s this: you have to keep trying. That doesn’t mean I didn’t quit—I did, plenty of times. Sometimes, I just needed to step back and give myself a break. But I always came back and kept searching for what would work.

And I tried everything.

In 2015, I finally got a diagnosis: metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. That changed everything. It allowed me to refine what I was doing and pinpoint what would actually help me lose weight. The truth is, diet and exercise alone weren’t enough for me. They helped, but only to a certain point. I would lose 20-30 pounds, then hit a plateau that lasted for months.

Ultimately, after exhausting every non-surgical option, I had gastric bypass surgery in 2022. Then, in 2023, I started Mounjaro to continue progressing toward a healthy weight.

Neither of these were magic bullets. I still had to eat well and exercise. But these tools addressed the hormonal and metabolic issues I have. Because those issues were finally being treated, my body began responding to healthy habits in a way it never had before. When I ate and exercised the same way before surgery or medication, I would see minimal progress and then get stuck. Now, my body actually reacts the way it should.

And let me be clear: I’m not ashamed of my journey.

I’m not ashamed that I had surgery. I’m not ashamed that I take weight loss medication to treat my metabolic condition. We don’t shame diabetics for using insulin to control their diabetes. We don’t judge cancer patients for undergoing chemotherapy.

So why should I feel guilty for using the medical tools available to me?

I’m not lazy. I didn’t take an easy way out. And honestly? I don’t need anyone’s approval for how I choose to manage my health.

For some reason, certain people think the only way to earn their respect is to lose weight the “natural” way. And if you don’t have metabolic issues, maybe you can lose weight naturally. But for many of us, it’s not that simple. And beyond that, it’s like people expect you to suffer for the “sin” of being fat. Like you have to work twice as hard to prove you’re worthy. That mindset is so strange to me.

I’m also not ashamed that I was obese. What frustrates me is that it took until I was 50 years old for a doctor to finally run the right tests and diagnose me. Before that, I was dismissed as just an overeater.

But I wasn’t.

I had always been a little chubby as a kid, but in my 20s, the weight gain became steady—just 5 to 10 pounds a year. And over a decade, that added up to 100 pounds. If someone had taken my concerns seriously earlier, maybe I wouldn’t have had to fight this battle for so long.

So however you choose to get healthy—do it for you.

At 59 years old, my life is the best it’s been in decades. I’m free from chronic pain and depression. I’m on fewer medications than I’ve been on in years. And most importantly, I’m happy. I did what I needed to do to get here, and my quality of life is so much better.

I wouldn’t change a thing.

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